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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The people of Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have demanded compensation for the ceding of their land to the military for establishment of army training depot for South East in the community.
President Bola Tinubu had last year, approved a new army training depot for Southeast with Amasiri and Amangwu communities in Afikpo and Edda Local Government areas of Ebonyi State approved for the depot.
The land measuring 618 hectares, was officially handed over to the military by Governor Francis Nwifuru in a ceremony on Tuesday evening.
Before the handover of the land, an elderly man from Poperi, Amasiri, Chief Chukwu Agha who prayed traditionally, appealed to the government to compensate the community.
He said the large expanse of land serves as means of survival of the people through agricultural activities.
“This land is what has been feeding us. We have been cultivating on this land for decades and it is the only means of our livelihood.
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“We are requesting that we should be remembered by losing this land, we should be remembered o”, he appealed during the traditional prayer.
But Governor Francis Nwifuru, while entertaining questions from journalists at the event, said there are no economic trees or any infrastructure on the land that will require government compensation.
“The land belongs to the government and the governor is the owner of the land and he is the holder and he takes compensation where there is infrastructure or economic trees.
“You can show me the economic trees here and the infrastructure, then you now request for the compensation. Law is for everybody. So, if there is any economic tree you are seeing here, if there is any infrastructure you are seeing on this land, then you can now raise that issue and then, I will answer your question.”
Nwifuru said the establishment of the military training depot in the two communities, will foster peace. “This land will bring peace because that’s the essence of it.
The Nigerian army is known for maintaining law and order and we have that confidence here that their presence here will bring the end of that clash and nobody will be in that trouble again.”
